Paa Kwesi Nduom goes independent…… and whoop!!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

As is to be expected, Paa Kwesi Nduom has broken ranks with the CPP, announcing himself as an Independent Candidate to contest next year’s Presidential elections. He intends forming a “Political Movement” to reinforce his quest. The immediate impact on the CPP is anybody’s guess, but he will bear his own kind of brunt too.

I am not surprised at the turn of events but don’t expect Nduom to cause any upset. He is a wash-out already.

Eating a humble pie is not the answer, President Mills!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

President Mills says he is ready to eat a humble pie. Trust the Ghanaian politician to seek refuge in stale metaphors as a face-saving manouevre to escape blame. Certainly, his plate of pies is full to the brim, the failed STX housing project being the latest. I hope he has sharpened his teeth and braced his jaws well enough to bite deep into it. I wish him a good appetite, then.  

The STX housing project to provide 30,000 houses for security agencies at $1.5 billion is doomed. And it doesn’t come as a surprise because the conditions for this doom had been laid at the very moment that the project was conceived. The government rushed through with it and disregarded well-intentioned suggestions to hasten slowly. Now, the reality it has refused to see is here, and feathers are being ruffled.

Should the NPP fear the Volta Region anymore? (Part II)

Thursday, December 22, 2011

It is a truism that in partisan politics, every political party has its strongholds in the country as a result of the perennial show of support for it by the electorate in specific constituencies. 

The voting pattern in the country since multi-party democracy was introduced confirms that certain parties can rely on voters in certain parts of the country to garner support to the disadvantage of their rivals. And the leadership of such parties openly boast of such strongholds.

Should the NPP fear the Volta Region anymore? (Part I)

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Events characterizing elections in Ghana reveal that the Volta Region has been a no-go area for the political parties rooted on the Danquah-Busia political tradition since 1948 when elections became the means for choosing our national leaders.

From the 1^st Republic through the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th, the electorate in the Volta Region have consistently denied any political party based on the United Party’s ideals the votes it direly needs to enjoy overwhelming support throughout the country.

Pirates now call themselves “businessmen”

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The ongoing controversy over the huge sum of money paid by the state (through the Mills-led government) to businessman and NDC financier, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, is a clear demonstration of the criminal laxity that persists in our country to facilitate such sophisticated methods for fleecing the national coffers.

It is gradually emerging that Woyome was not the person awarded the contract to warrant his legal action to claim damages when the Kufuor government abrogated the contract. So, what was the basis for the court’s judgement and the government’s doling out of that huge sum of money to him?  Obviously, that payment is fraudulent and must be condemned by all Ghanaians wishing well for the country.

Hail the Asantehene, now “King of Kings” of Africa! (Part II)

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The factors that blew Gaddafi into extinction confirm the waywardness that he instigated through such ploys as the formation of this Forum to pursue the agenda that he set for it and his pompous display of a sham democratic spirit while suppressing his own people in Libya. He left this Forum in a doghouse and it must remain as such. It is not for the Asantehene to allow himself or the huge positive image of the Golden Stool to be misused for its revival.  

If Otumfuo insists on serving on this Forum and allows himself to be deceived into becoming its “life time chairman,” he will live to regret. There is no success to achieve by leading this pack of chiefs and sultans who are more interested in pursuing interests that don’t benefit their own people but themselves.

Hail the Asantehene, now “King of Kings” of Africa! (Part I)

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The atmosphere in and around the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi must be buzzing with much chit-chat and light-heartedness at the news that the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, is now to walk in the shadow of the slain Libyan leader, Col. Muammar al-Gaddafi as the “King of Kings” of Africa. He has been nominated to replace Gaddafi as the next chairman of the Kings and Sultans of Africa Forum.

The announcement on Otumfuo’s elevation was contained in a letter presented to him on Sunday as he celebrated the last Akwasidae of the year at the forecourt of the Manhyia Palace.

Nana Akufo-Addo and his “All piss be piss”

Thursday, December 8, 2011

News reports that the NPP’s Nana Akufo-Addo desecrated a mosque in Damongo by urinating on its walls during his recent visit to the area came as no surprise to some of us. The persistent recourse to insults and plain calumny as political tools suggests that such news reports won’t be anything extra-ordinary.

Nor will we expect that the spate of pejorative utterances against Akufo-Addo will abate. It won’t for as long as the grounds exist for it. Even though the tempo concerning his alleged drug abuse may have lessened, the clouds generated by such allegations haven’t yet dispersed. They are still hanging over his head and he must brace himself up for more.

Is Sekou Nkrumah a straw man in Ghana politics?

Thursday, December 8, 2011

By flitting from one political camp to the other at the least prompting, Dr. Sekou Nkrumah isn’t doing anything good to shore up his political fortunes. He seems to be in deep trouble as he flirts with all the political families, which raises a fundamental question: What is his motivation for participating in Ghana politics?

I am tempted to ask this question after carefully analyzing his checkered political career so far to conclude that he has gradually reduced himself to a laughing stock and endangered his political career all too soon. Within the past five years alone, he has been to bed with the CPP and the NDC, and is now arm-in-arm with the NPP.

Those running a fool’s errand in Ghana politics… (Part II)

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Ghana has had several of such politicians, starting from when partisan politics was first allowed in the late 1940s to date. Most of those who stood against Nkrumah’s CPP were no match and were easily disposed of as Nkrumah constituted himself into Ghana’s Life President until he was booted out of office in 1966.

The August 1969 general elections gave rise to all manner of politicians, some of whom were Willie Lutterodt (whose People’s Popular Party, PPP, was banned because the party’s acronym sounded like the CPP that the NLC government had banned); Imoru Ayana and his People’s Action Party; Gbedemah’s National Alliance of Liberals (NAL); and Busia’s Progress Party (PP), among others.

Those running a fool’s errand in Ghana politics… (Part I)

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

The CPP’s Paa Kwesi Nduom now says that he doesn’t want the press or anybody to refer to him as a “presidential aspirant.” I don’t know what he has seen to warrant this prohibition, but I can say for sure that whether he is described as such or not won’t change matters for the better for him. He seems to have reached a dead-end in his political career and the earlier he resigns himself to fate the better it will be for his image—at least, whatever of it is left for him to keep up.

As the NPP threatens and Anyidoho roars…

Friday, November 25, 2011

Every well-meaning Ghanaian must be alarmed at the spate of threats coming from the NDC government and its opponents (the NPP camp, especially). It is as if some people are convinced that their party will win the elections only through the volume of threats they issue. Poor souls.

We’ve heard Koku Anyidoho, Communications Director at the Presidency, respond to a series of threats from the NPP camp concerning the 2012 elections. He has warned the NPP’s Akufo-Addo and National Chairman, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, that they won’t be spared if they foment trouble in the country.

When 72 sheep bleat in the Ofori Panin Palace…

Friday, November 25, 2011

Soon and very soon, there will be much bleating in the Ofori Panin Palace at Kibi when 72 sheep are herded in there as payment of the hefty fine imposed on Odehye Kwame Boateng, the man who accused the Okyenhene, Amoatia Ofori-Panin II of involvement in illegal gold mining in the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area of the Eastern Region. The bleating will not be it all. If Odehye Boateng provides the 36 crates of Schnapps as demanded, there will be much liquour for the audience listening to the bleating.

This is the Okyeman Council’s contribution to what gives the institution of chieftaincy a very bad name in contemporary times. It is often said that a dying donkey kicks the hardest. Our chieftaincy institution is, indeed, a dying donkey that is doing all it can, expending its energy in kicking the hardest but won’t survive the whirligig of modernization for as long as decisions of this sort reduce it to absurdity.

The NPP to install Akufo-Addo as a parallel President?

Friday, November 24, 2011

The persistent issuing of threats by NPP activists has reinforced the horrible image that their political camp has. Of course, once perceived as a leopard, the NPP is not expected to shed off its dark spots. The party has deep roots in the tradition of violence, beginning from the pre-independence era through the anti-Nkrumah bomb-throwing escapades to what its functionaries are fast taking on these days as their tool for solving problems militating against their bid to return to power.

From open declarations that the party will match the NDC boot-to-boot in causing mayhem regarding the 2012 elections to disturbing utterances bordering on acts to cause instability, these NPP activists seem to know no bounds. Apparently, their flagbearer, Akufo-Addo, has already set the tone for them through his senseless war-cry of “All die be die,” which they seem to have latched on to in intensifying their campaign of threats and aggressiveness.

Certainly, the NDC knows how to destroy itself

Friday, November 24, 2011

I have chosen to be the devil’s advocate and will say aboveboard that the NDC is digging a deep grave fort itself. As its functionaries engage in misguided actions and the government continues to lose public goodwill because it can’t fulfill its electioneering campaign promises, the party will eventually come face-to-face with reality, probably when it will be too late to make amends. It is poised to suffer a fate likely to be worse than what has afflicted the pro-Nkrumahist political family all these years.

Too many people in the NDC are consumed by ambitions that threaten the collective interests of the party. One of such characters is Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister of Information.

Kennedy Agyapong reflects the weaknesses of our Parliament

Thursday, November 24, 2011

The NPP’s Kennedy Agyapong is often in the news for the wrong reason. His latest outburst that the country will be turned into “Rwanda” if the NDC attempts rigging the 2012 elections sums up everything about him and all others who have been given the power to help solve problems but often choose to do otherwise. 

And to have him as a Member of Parliament is a pain in the neck. I pity the Assin South constituency whose representative he is, no matter what he may mean to his followers there.

Kennedy Agyapong’s threatening utterances highlight the weaknesses in our political dispensation and bring into contempt the workings of the Legislature to which he belongs. He is not alone, though.  

In 8 years, how much begging did Kufuor do?

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Former President, John Agyekum Kufuor, has surfaced again, drawing needless attention to himself by making utterances that confirm my stance that he will be better off when silent. Doubtless, he has become one of those who become wise only after the fact. 

He has asked President Mills to beg foreign governments and institutions to help Ghana solve basic problems, including provision of potable water and sanitation. 

Then, at the weekend, he observed that as much as government is making efforts to ensure that students are comfortable on campus, it is equally important to address the needs of teachers. I consider his utterances as unbecoming and take him to task on that score.

Kufuor gives away government land, Mills takes it back, then…

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The court order restraining the government and its agents from constructing any structure on the plots of land (No. 34 Airport Residential Area, also known as International Student Hostel) to house the Foreign Affairs Ministry and two state institutions is without merit. It is a clear demonstration of the decadence that has engulfed our judicial system. That verdict is a recipe for disaster.

Rawlings and Chinua Achebe’s lizard (Part II)

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Before the emergence of Rawlings, governance had been mystified. When he burst onto the scene with his close attachment to the mass of the people, he succeeded in demystifying governance and raising the spirit of self-help and communal activities.

No one should begrudge him credit for this feat. He broke the myth surrounding elitism in Ghanaian politics and created opportunities for the hitherto “unbiz” elements of the society to walk the corridors of power. Some excelled in their use of that power to advance the cause of the people while others misused that opportunity and suffered for it.

Rawlings and Chinua Achebe’s lizard (Part I)

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Do you remember Chinua Achebe’s proverb of the lizard that drops from the tall iroko tree to hit the ground, nods its head, and praises itself if nobody will praise it for surviving such a mighty fall?

Former President Jerry John Rawlings may have a part of that proverbial lizard in him. He says that his nearly 20-year rule can be described as the best ever in the annals of the country’s political history. And his boast has sent his critics, including former President Kufuor, into a tail spin. Instantaneously, all of them are giddy with anger. Why not?

Insults, insults, more insults… won’t win Election 2012

Monday, November 7, 2011

Over the past one week alone, several pronouncements from the NDC camp have focused on the NPP’s flagbearer, Nana Akufo Addo, to such an extent that no single day passes by without anything damning being said about him. All these pronouncements have one common pinpoint: highlighting the negative aspects of Akufo-Addo’s standing.

Indeed, the pronouncements have centred on his past, present, and future, creating the impression that he is not fit to be Ghana’s President. Reading news reports on these pronouncements, one might be tempted to conclude that the NDC camp has found an antidote to the NPP’s campaign of demonization and outright condemnation of everything done by the NDC and its government.

If Rawlings won’t campaign for President Mills…

Sunday, November 6, 2011

The NDC’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah, is reported to have expressed sentiments that I share, even if he has turned round to deny what was attributed to him. No one should beg Rawlings and his wife to campaign for the NDC. This reasoning encapsulates all that I want to hear at this stage when the NDC government is faced with numerous thorny issues to grapple with as Election 2012 looms large and the problems mount. The Rawlingses are also part of those thorny issues.

It is not as if Rawlings’ campaigning for the NDC will automatically win victory for it. Against the NPP, what didn’t Rawlings do for the 2000 and 2004 elections to promote then Candidate Mills’ interests? Did he win? He lost on both occasions to the NPP’s Kufuor despite all the huge personal investment and infusion of resources into the NDC’s campaign stunts. Rawlings was all over the place, vigorously urging the electorate to go for Professor Mills; but they turned the other way.

Even at that time that he hadn’t done much to destroy his own NDC, the electorate spurned Professor Mills. What is there about him today for the electorate to enthuse over after he has succeeded in undercutting his own party’s government?

You see, no moral basis exists for Rawlings to be actively involved in the NDC’s campaigns. Unless someone wants to tell me that he has no conscience, I don’t think that he has acquitted himself properly enough to take on the responsibilities that some NDC elements sympathetic to his cause are suggesting.

Rawlings: NDC Founder and Father now an OUTCAST? (Part II)

Friday, November 4, 2011

The causes of Rawlings’ problems are obvious. He is a bundle of contradictions who is suffering as a consequence of his own inability to come to terms with the reality of the human condition: he is indeed not what he professes to be—which is gradually leading to his unmasking himself through this spate of constant whining and fault-finding. 

All the goodwill that has clothed him all these years has virtually been eroded by his own miscalculation, leaving him thinly veiled. Very soon, that veil will fall for all to know the real stuff of which he is made.

Rawlings: NDC Founder and Father now an OUTCAST? (Part I)

Friday, November 4, 2011

The irony of fate that has reduced former President Rawlings from the high horse of a hero to a near-villain in his own political camp defies rationalization; but it is understandable as the outcome of his own inability to change with the times. We will continue to examine the twists and turns that have turned him into what he himself has labelled as “an outcast” in his own political family (the NDC).

Yes, an outcast he is because that is the outcome of his not stopping to look and listen before leaping into the whirlpool. Now, overwhelmed by the outcome, he has become giddy with resentment. I don’t pity him. Whether the NDC cannot do without him doesn’t really bother me. A viable political party needs to position itself to outgrow its founder(s). That’s what Rawlings cannot fathom and is suffering for it.

Do Ghanaians want Akufo-Addo as their President? (Part II)

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Arrogance in official government circles is disgusting to the electorate, and they won’t root for a government whose functionaries carry themselves too high and come across as condescending. The NDC MPs are particularly guilty; and this Abayateye can’t absolve himself of blame. His own problems with a section of the electorate in his Sege constituency come to mind. How sure is he that he will be re-elected?

Others like him also have serious problems in their constituencies because they have either failed to deliver the goods they promised the electorate to win their votes or because they have already been written off as non-performing assets.

Do Ghanaians want Akufo-Addo as their President? (Part I)

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Factors that prevented the NPP’s Akufo-Addo from winning the 2008 Presidential elections may not have evaporated; new ones may have emerged ever since then to add to his credibility problems. But whether he will win the next general elections or not cannot be gauged by how much his opponents denounce him.

Personally, I have my qualms against Akufo-Addo and will hate to have him as Ghana’s President in my lifetime; but my sentiments are my private matter. Others too have their sentiments and expectations of him and mine alone will not prevent him from being so if the majority of voters go for him. Akufo-Addo’s electoral fate is in the womb of time; and the objective reality of the Ghanaian condition will determine what he becomes at the end of the polls in December 2012.

Palestine joins UNESCO and the United States goes wild! (Part II)

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Israel and the US have no moral justification to continue resisting Palestine’s bid for statehood. Israel's concerns against the Palestine Liberation Organization as a terrorist organization are no more valid, especially after both had exchanged letters of recognition as far back as 1993.

If the bone of contention is land, there is nothing anybody can do about it. The struggle over land between Israelis and those in the Middle East (including the Palestinians) is an age-old problem that shouldn’t be put forward by anybody as a major stumbling block.

Palestine joins UNESCO and the United States goes wild! (Part I)

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Even before the United Nations votes on Palestine’s application for full membership—a preparatory step for its becoming a full-fledged state—one of its organs has taken a giant step to boost Palestine’s status in the community of nations.  

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) full membership voted yesterday to admit Palestine into its fold as its 195^th full member. The vote tally was 107 to 14, with 52 abstentions, according to The New York Times (Monday, October 31, 2011).

Why should information on Rawlings’ entitlements be secret?

Friday, October 28, 2011

Kobina Andoh, the Head of Communications in the office of former President Rawlings, has spoilt my day. He is reported to have issued a “strongly worded statement” to complain of what he termed “confidential information about his (Rawlings’) entitlements” being released by the government to the public with a view to embarrassing him.

He cautioned the government to desist from such practices or, better still, take away Rawlings’ constitutionally deserved entitlements if they will continue with such a practice.

After killing Gaddafi, what is there for the UN in Libya?

Thursday, October 27, 2011

The United Nations Security Council has decided by a unanimous vote to end international military operations in Libya by Monday, October 31, 2011. Feeling complacent that its mission to “protect civilians” has been accomplished, the Council thinks that the Libyan situation should now be in the hands of the Libyan people, led by the National Transitional Council.

The Council’s decision, however, seems not to meet the expectation of the Libyan authorities who have pleaded for an extension of the military mission in view of the current security situation or until such time that the Gaddafi menace would have been completely neutralized. The NTC has already declared Libya as “liberated” but seems to be apprehensive of something; hence, its plea for the UN/NATO to stay on in Libya. That plea has fallen on the deaf ears of the UN. Will it be so for NATO too?

No one builds a house for the weaver-bird!!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The resurgence of controversy over the resettlement of Ghana’s former Presidents is unnecessary. In sum, of all the problems facing this country, that of resettling the former Presidents is the least important. It is not worth anybody’s attention at all and must be treated with the utmost disregard it deserves.

But because President Mills’ suggestion that instead of putting up buildings for them they should be paid a 20% rent allowance to cater for their residential needs, the matter has rebounded into public discourse and assumed dimensions that are justifiably annoying. Away with these so-called Article 71 office holders!  

Doctors don’t eat the Hippocratic Oath

Saturday, October 22, 2011

The strike action by doctors and housemen at the country’s health institutions (hospitals, polyclinics, and clinics) is many days old now without any sign of being called off. If anything at all, indications are clear that it will persist till who-knows-when?

So far, what we’ve had is a useless shouting match between the Ghana Medical Association (especially its President, Dr. Emmanuel Adom Winful) and a beleaguered government side (led by its appointees at the Ministry of Health). While this shouting match goes on, human life is at risk and the country’s public health care delivery system stagnates while the government’s own image suffers.

Libya’s Gaddafi dies… but as whose martyr?

Thursday, October 20, 2011

At long last, one of the two eventual possibilities to rid Libya of its long-term maverick leader, Muammar al-Gaddafi, has materialized. Gaddafi is dead, killed in his hometown, Sirte, where he had been hiding ever since his opponents and collaborators in NATO dislodged him from power two months ago.

In effect, Gaddafi has made good his vow not to desert his country in the wake of the uprising against his rule and NATO’s consequent military action. He wanted to die a martyr and has done so. Sirte was Gaddafi’s cradle and, as his fate would have it, his death-bed as well. Now dead, whose “martyr” is he?

Who Took Away Nana Ato Dadzie’s Thinking Cap?

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

In our kind of political climate, weird things continue to happen every passing day. Nana Ato Dadzie, the former Chief of Staff under the Rawlings regime, is reported to have made utterances that should annoy every Ghanaian interested in upholding high moral standards. His ego trip won’t serve Ghana’s needs.

A Fulani is a Fulani, not a “Ghanaian Fulani”

Friday, October 7, 2011

Abdul Musah Sidibe’s rejoinder to public calls for swift action to deal with Fulanis abusing our Ghanaian hospitality is misconceived. In that rejoinder (“Media Ignorance: The Story of Ghanaian Fulani,” ghanaweb.com, 7/10/11), the writer created the erroneous impression that any stern action against the Fulanis (such as expulsion) is unacceptable because it will be a violation of their rights as Ghanaians.

His arguments sought to portray the Fulani elements as bona fide citizens of the country who must not be isolated for any selective justice. He has misfired big time and must be told the stark truth that public anger and calls for action to deal with the Fulani menace have nothing to do with citizenship rights. They have everything to do with punishing Fulanis whose criminal activities have come to notice.

No Rawlings, No Vote? Bring it on, Nana Konadu!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings has carried her self-seeking agenda to a new level. This time, it is a case of pure blackmail against the Mills-led government. The gist? “No Rawlings, no vote!”

As part of her “Thank You” tours around the country, she landed at Tamale over the weekend. Before she delivered her message, leading members of her loyalists’ group, FONKAR had launched a new campaign slogan for the 2012 elections dubbed “No Rawlingses: No vote.” The slogan was outdoored at the Tamale GNAT Hall to send a message to the government that if it chooses to neglect the Rawlings, it will have itself to blame.

Nothing but cheap politics, to say the least. And it could only come from such desperate people who have gradually but steadily reduced themselves to a laughing stock, hiding behind the Rawlings enigma to attempt twisting arms.

The Rawlingses are crying for the MOON!

Friday, September 30, 2011

Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings is in the news again, making utterances that indicate the depth to which her family has sunk itself as it continues to seek needless public attention over non-existent concerns. She is reported to have “lashed out at the government for failing to take proper care of the former first family.”

Mrs. Rawlings made the remarks when she addressed her supporters in the Upper East Region as part of her “Thank you” tour, which she also used to refute claims that the Rawlings family was being catered for by the government.

She indicated that “the government has turned a blind eye to the needs of her family and neglected certain privileges that should be accorded the husband as a former President.”

These utterances by Nana Konadu should make every Ghanaian want to puke. What at all do the Rawlingses think Ghanaians owe them? And what is the “proper care” that they are demanding to be given?

Let’s bundle these Fulanis out of Ghana now!!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Many communities in Ghana have suffered for far too long at the hands of the Fulanis whose anti-social activities have now become a major national problem to confront with vigour and determination. Most of these Fulanis are accused of committing crimes such as cattle rustling, murder, rape, plain theft, and complete disregard for our laws wherever they go.

The continuing show of anger against this Fulani menace by the chiefs and people of Agogo in Asante-Akyim is just one instance of how the situation has boiled over. Other incidents attributed to the Fulani menace have already occurred in several parts of the country, the latest one being the armed robbery on the Mafi Kumase-Ho road last weekend.

There must be a curb on this wanton misconduct by all these non-Ghanaians using the country as a safe haven to perpetrate crime or abuse the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality. Let’s get rid of these Fulanis now!

As Cape Coast Humiliates Nana Konadu….

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Many factors have combined to make the NDC steadily unattractive these days. Whether by design or miscalculated manouevres, the party is moving toward an unpleasant Fate. Obviously, the situation in the party has degenerated to such an extent as to alarm every genuine supporter of the party whose commitment, sacrifices, and prayer have sustained the party thus far.

Apart from the harm being done the party’s interests by internal wranglings and factionalism, it is clear from events happening all over the country that the party’s activists are more interested in goring each other than working in a concerted manner to build the party. No wonder, the party’s future viability is at stake.

When state secrets leak… Don’t blame Wikileaks

Friday, September 16, 2011

As we focus attention on the Wikileaks report, trying very hard to find fault, apportion blame, or use the contents of the report to deepen the political divide between the NDC and the NPP, we must remember that the overarching negative impact of the report on the country is huge.

We must not simply dismiss the contents of the US Embassy’s cables as part of the exercise of the freedom of speech by those loose talkers in a democracy. In most cases, those who made those contacts with the US Embassy to make those comments would have been questioned thoroughly by the appropriate state institutions to ascertain the extent to which they exposed the country’s interests to harm.

Empty Slogans and Ghana’s Diplomatic Imperatives (Part II)

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Condemning Ghana for recognizing the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) at this stage in the Libyan political situation is hollow. There is no denying the fact that the NATO aggression against Gaddafi and his government is reprehensible. Despite protests, the aggression hasn’t ended and its objective has been achieved. Gaddafi is toast. What is the sense in withholding recognition and support for the new administration?

Will Ghana reject the NTC because it expects Gaddafi to return to power to add more to the 42 years of what has made him an anathema to his own people and all those in the world critical of his tyrannical rule, his concrete achievements in terms of infrastructural development and improving living conditions notwithstanding?

Empty Slogans and Ghana’s Diplomatic Imperatives (Part I)

Thursday, September 15, 2011

My recent three-piece article on Ghana’s diplomatic manouevres toward Israel and the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) attracted diverse responses from readers.

I have received e-mails with different messages, some expressing alarm, others commending my being open-minded, and some simply disagreeing with my stance and hurling insults at President Mills and me for whatever the readers might have objected to about the government’s action and my support for it. I appreciate those perspectives. That’s the beauty of this kind of discursive event.

Isn’t Mr. Kufuor better off when silent? (Part II)

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Under the First Republic, there was no position of a Vice President or Prime Minister. Dr. Nkrumah wielded enormous powers and virtually had Ghana in his hands. He wielded a clout that hit anywhere at any time, leaving in its trail very serious consequences. 

Although difficult to substantiate, we can guess that his manipulation of the political situation to outlaw all other political parties to make the CPP the only legitimate political party and himself as the Life President of Ghana was the most troubling problem within the period. No wonder that Nkrumah created many enemies in almost all sectors of national life and suffered for it.

Isn’t Mr. Kufuor better off when silent? (Part I)

Thursday, September 15, 2011

One peculiar fact about former President Kufuor is that he is not a good speaker. He lacks the flourish that characterizes the rhetorical manouevres of political figures who captivate their audiences with their speeches. He is more admirable for being a careful listener and thinker. That is why when he chooses to speak, he must hasten slowly. He will be better off respecting silence as golden.

As Ghana welcomes Israel and the Libyan National Transitional Council… (Part III)

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Despite the savagery against dark-skinned Africans, all hope is not lost for them in Libya. They still have a role to play in the diverse sectors of Libya. The government must take advantage of this situation to create a labor pool and a reliable database for all Ghanaians who may want to go to Libya for work purposes. 

As is done in other countries that rely on their citizens working in other countries, the Ghana government can streamline matters with a clear-cut mechanism to support prospective job-seekers and create channels through which to monitor their status in Libya.

As Ghana welcomes Israel and the Libyan National Transitional Council… (Part II)

Saturday, September 10, 2011

I firmly believe that Ghana has a lot to benefit from this restoration of diplomatic ties with Israel. It must be clear to all by now that any insistence on isolating Israel because of the original factor that necessitated the severance of ties is absurd. The Palestinian cause that was at the heart of the crisis has proved to be an endless conundrum that cannot be resolved through the breaking off of diplomatic ties. 

More importantly, Ghana is so far removed from this Israeli-Palestinian conflict as to make its continued pooh-poohing of Israeli the highest form of laziness, stupidity, and immaturity.

As Ghana welcomes Israel and the Libyan National Transitional Council… (Part I)

Saturday, September 10, 2011

In the past few days, the government made two important diplomatic moves that give glaring pointers to the direction in which it wants to move Ghana. After decades of being at odds with Israel, the government has decided to normalize relations and, consequently, restored diplomatic ties between Ghana and Israel.

Then, the government announced that it has decided to give diplomatic recognition to the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) as the legitimate governing body in Libya. These two moves in diplomacy have diverse far-reaching implications and deserve our attention.

After dismissing Dr. Frimpong-Boateng, what next?

Thursday, September 8, 2011

True to his word to come out with his version of the circumstances surrounding his controversial dismissal from the honorary directorship of the National Cardiothoracic Centre (NCTC) at the Korle Bu Hospital, Dr. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng addressed a press conference last Monday. 

In clearing the air, he raised serious issues to confirm claims that most of the problems hindering our country’s development are either self-created or worsened by lack of proper judgement on the part of decision-makers in officialdom. That is why despite all the abundant resources at our disposal, our country is still under-developed.

Has Wikileaks worsened Akufo-Addo’s Problems?

Monday, September 5, 2011

Like the proverbial Sword of Damocles hanging over the NPP’s Akufo-Addo, the never-fading allegation of drug-use against him continues to dangle in the public domain. It continues to dent his public image as it assumes wider dimensions.

A Wikileaks report, based on a cable from Pamela Bridgewater (the former United States Ambassador in Ghana), has added a new complexion to the allegation. Her cable was entitled “‘GHANA AND THE 2008 ELECTION: PROSPECTS FOR THE RULING NPP.”

Another Wikileaks report saying that Akufo-Addo was worried about the narcotics trafficking going on and his intentions to equip the relevant state institutions to tackle it don’t really absolve him from anything concerning the allegation on his own drug use. Nor can anybody say that the report itself is not worth our bother. 

It is, coming from observations by the former US Ambassador and not a Ghanaian political entity who might be accused of colouring issues with biases for political capital. I accept the report as part of what we need to probe issues, regardless of the vacuous threat of legal action against anybody uttering the allegation.

And Akufo-Addo goes wild with empty promises

Sunday, September 4, 2011

As he intensifies his public appearances to catch the eye (and sympathy) of the electorate, the NPP’s Akufo-Addo continues to confirm claims by his detractors that he has nothing new to offer Ghanaians and doesn’t deserve the Presidency that he is craving for. 

Indeed, it has been bandied about that he has nothing to recommend him for that high office. He seems to be setting himself up for unpleasant times waiting for him at the end of his vote-seeking campaigns.

Where is your Policy Statement, Akufo-Addo?

Thursday, September 1, 2011

In the announcement preceding the maiden annual “Liberty Lectures” instituted by the Danquah Institute on May 31 to honour the founders of the Aborigines Right Protection Society, the organizers made it clear that the principal speaker, Nana Akufo-Addo (Presidential Candidate of the NPP), would give a lecture  to announce his MAJOR policy statement.

Many of us braced ourselves up for what we expected to be a major happening to give us a sneak peek into how the NPP intends to make a break with past in its agenda for managing the affairs of the country. We anticipated much food-for-thought and readied ourselves for what we hoped would provide the substance to raise the discourse on national issues to a higher level.

The event has come to pass but—need I say it as it is? It didn’t yield what we expected and can best be written off as one of those exercises in fault-finding, not anything new to enthuse over. It didn’t give us what we expected would be a MAJOR policy statement. We didn’t get anything substantial to engage our attention, only the distracting barrage of criticisms to irritate us.

Zimbabwe expels Libyan Ambassador and dares the devil

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe is in his no-nonsense mood again. His government has just taken an action that is not only daring in its nature but also antagonistic in its impact. It may qualify as eccentric too.

While many countries worldwide (including 20 African countries) have so far recognized the Libyan rebel’s National Transitional Council (NTC) as the legitimate governing body of Libya, Zimbabwe has chosen to reinforce its refusal to go with the grain by taking an unprecedented action to expel Libya’s ambassador (Taher Elmagrahi) from the country.

Ghana is not worth dying for, but……

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Echoes of the controversy surrounding the Minister of Health’s letter terminating the appointment of Dr. Frimpong-Boateng as Head of the National Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital are still ringing loud in our ears. 

Certainly, the Minister’s action has touched raw nerves, and the sharp public reaction to it reflects the extent to which passions have been inflamed.

Are Ghanaians really benefiting from THIS democracy? (Part III)

Sunday, August 28, 2011

I conclude my discussion of the fundamental problems that I consider to be an affront to Ghana’s democracy and why it is imperative that efforts be made to ensure that the democracy works in the best interest of the vast majority of Ghanaians whose sacrifices sustain the system.

Do we really have a “Government for the People”?

In a democracy, the electorate are the wielders of power. That’s why their franchise is guaranteed for them to vote periodically to choose those they want to govern them. It is their mandate that brings a government into being and empowers its functionaries to use the resources of the land for the public weal. Ideally, such a government must serve the interests of the people and not trample over them.

Are Ghanaians really benefiting from THIS democracy? (Part II)

Sunday, August 28, 2011

I now examine the workings of our democracy within the context of the expectation that a government of the people, by the people, and for the people will not fail to complement the efforts of the people toward nurturing the country’s democracy to cater for their interests. 

It is only then that the sacrifices being made by the people will be validated. Otherwise, they lose their value and turn out to be the basis for actions to undermine the democracy itself.

Are Ghanaians really benefiting from THIS democracy? (Part I)

Sunday, August 28, 2011

As the jockeying by activists of the various political parties for the electorate’s sympathy continues for the 2012 elections—and will intensify as we approach the peak vote-seeking season—we need to ponder some serious issues that agitate people’s minds as far as our politics is concerned.

A cursory observation of our political situation reveals much discontent among Ghanaians (home and abroad) at the continued deterioration of living standards, persistently high cost of utility/health/social services, economic stagnation, and moral decadence, which add to the bitter political rivalry between the NDC and NPP to create tension and make the situation in the country virtually unbearable. 

And all this is happening in a country that is richly endowed with human and natural resources, backed by a democratic system of governance that has been stable for 19 years now!

STX Housing Promise: The NDC’s Political Misfortune…

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Indications are clear that the STX housing project is a millstone hanging around the government’s neck. Consequently, it will be easier for the government to abandon it now than to stubbornly insist on pursuing it into a political doom. Either way, the government is in trouble; it can’t escape blame for failing to get the project carried out and will pay dearly for its lethargy.

Its lopsided approach to this project is a clear demonstration of the purposelessness in officialdom that irritates the citizens. It confirms fears that the government is not managing the affairs of state competently, which demoralizes the citizens, leaving them in the lurch to be oppressed by a sense of futility and despondency. Such a demoralized people cannot be galvanized for national development.

The African Union Says “No” to the Libyan Rebel Leadership

Friday, August 26, 2011

The African Union’s Peace and Security Council held an emergency meeting in Addis Ababa today and decided not to recognize the Libyan rebel leadership (National Transitional Council) as the legitimate government of Libya.

Instead, the AU has called for an immediate ceasefire and “an all-inclusive transitional government” in Libya that would take in members of Gaddafi’s administration.

This stance is not unexpected. It has long been rearing its head and any astute observer of the Libyan crisis and the clear-cut differences between the AU’s proposals for resolving it and NATO/NTC’s military campaign will not be surprised that it has finally dawned.

The Ghana Government is Right!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Dr. Emmanuel Kwesi Aning, a security analyst at the Kofi Annan International Peace-Keeping Training Centre, may be concerned about the proliferation of all manner of weapons on the continent as a result of the mayhem in Libya. He may also be concerned that retrieving such weapons will help curb any security threat.

But his condemnation of President Mills’ pronouncement concerning his government’s intention to monitor happenings in Libya before taking a definite stand is unjustified. Again, his claim that this pronouncement is a shirking of Ghana’s leadership role in Africa is unacceptable.

I strongly disagree with him, especially for claiming that “it is unfortunate that Ghana has decided to abandon its leadership role in ensuring the cache of weapons that have littered the streets of Libya are not used to destabilize the rest of Africa.” (Myjoyonline, August 25, 2011).

Why is the NDC always crying foul? (Part II)

Friday, August 19, 2011

Despite its rich political history, the NPP too has serious liabilities and isn’t as appealing as its activists would have the whole world believe. 

But it knows how to fight its political rivals, using all manner of strategies, some of which have made its opponents accuse it of infiltrating the Judiciary, Ghana Bar Association, civil service, the mass media, security services, and many other areas, including the private business sector, where its lackeys position themselves to serve its interests. 

Suspicion that they manipulate the situation to the NPP’s advantage seems to be why the NDC activists are apprehensive.

Why is the NDC always crying foul? (Part I)

Friday, August 19, 2011

For many years now, activists of the NDC have pointed accusing fingers at all manner of people and organizations as being against the party and aligning with their arch-rivals (the NPP) to ditch it.

The latest in the series of such accusations has come from Felix Ofosu Kwakye, a member of the communications team of the NDC. He said on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme on Wednesday August 17, 2011, that IMANI Ghana, CDD, IEA, and other policy think tanks in the country are allies of the NPP and that they are set to prosecute an agenda to discredit and run down the Mills-led administration ahead of the 2012 elections.

When Ras Mubarak becomes the Prodigal Son…

Friday, August 19, 2011

I recall part of the testimonial that my former Assistant Headmaster wrote for one of my former classmates: “An incorrigible character. His employer may employ him at his own risk for further study of his character before giving him a permanent employment.” Very frightening, right?

If Ghana politics—which is still full of nonsense—were to involve the issuance of testimonials, I am quite certain that some politicians can’t avoid being given something of the sort. It may be the wake-up call that they need to realize that doing politics involves more than seeking personal self-fulfillment. I am tempted by something that has just happened to once again put our politicians on the spot.  

What is the Institute of Economic Affairs afraid of?

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The wordy warfare between the Ghana News Agency (GNA) and the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) over the GNA’s news report (“IEA slams NPP for abuse of incumbency in Election 2008” filed on Sunday, August 14, 2011) could have been avoided had the IEA behaved responsibly. 

But it didn’t; hence, the intensification of the verbal tug-of-war that has spilled over and added fuel to the NDC-NPP rivalry.

The IEA’s conduct in this matter calls attention to one major problem that continues to frustrate genuine efforts by well-intentioned journalists to do their legitimate duties as members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm.

A Trojan Horse for the Asomdwehene: Hoodoo!!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

In choosing to look beyond material wealth and for disregarding personal property-grabbing as the objective for being in office, President J.E.A. Mills has put himself in a class of his own. 

Since entering office, he has not collected per diem allowances while on official trips, putting to shame all others before him (or in his government) who have allowed self-acquisitiveness to dominate their political lives. 

Many a Ghanaian politician who sees politics as a goldmine that provides the panacea to personal economic problems will not envy him, though.

The race to the Presidency: Matters arising

Monday, August 8, 2011

It is imperative that we don’t fail to scrutinize the character traits of those seeking leadership positions in our country. We do so at our own risk because if we allow our political interests to cloud our judgement and just accept them on the surface and install them in office, they will not provide the impetus that we need to move our country forward.

I say so with a guarded impression, created by the current barrage of criticisms being levelled against President Mills’ leadership style. Indeed, no day passes by without someone openly condemning him for not living up to expectation. 

Some even perceive him as weak, incompetent, malleable, unfocused, timid, and not in control of his government. These are serious allegations that in one way or the other may also account for the internal problems facing the NDC. Invariably, it is the country and its citizens that suffer!

If Rawlings smoked WEE and became Ghana’s President…

Friday, August 5, 2011

… Does it follow that the NPP’s Nana Akufo-Addo too can do so, shrug off the allegation of drug pushing, and become Ghana’s President as suggested by his followers?

As the exchanges intensify on allegations that the NPP’s Akufo-Addo is a drug pusher, some of his supporters have advanced puerile arguments to suggest that even former President Rawlings also smoked marijuana (wee) but succeeded in becoming Ghana’s President. Thus, the stigmatization of their Presidential Candidate on that score won’t have any negative effect on his Presidential ambitions.